Readers come for your story but stay for your characters.
In other words, your story isn’t just about what happens, but about who it happens to and all those connected to them.
The relationships you write about should impact the plot and your main character’s journey. They are not just there for drama.
In today’s blog post, we’ll explore how relationships can shape pivotal plot moments and guide your characters’ internal transformations.
Let’s get started!
Write Fictional Relationships that Shape Character Arcs
Your characters’ misbeliefs and desires are challenged or confirmed more through the relationships they build than the external events they encounter.
A mentor relationship teaches your protagonist patience and resilience.
A friendship has them struggling with their fears of connection and trust.
Know where your characters begin in your story and where they’re to end up by the end.
This guides the creation of influential relationships that push your characters towards growth.
Romantic Relationships Aren't Fluff; They Have Purpose
A romance doomed to end, a romance with a happy ending and the struggles along the way can mirror or contrast the worldview that your story presents.
These romances should challenge your protagonist. It should raise the stakes for them.
A relationship in conflict with their goal might cause your protagonist to reconsider what they truly want.
And in this case, that romance is crucial to the plot.
A romance that distracts from the narrative or is included just for the sake of reader interest doesn’t hold strong enough stakes to warrant its development.
Rework that romance until it incorporates tension, growth and character development.
Betrayal and Trust in Fictional Relationships
Relationships can mirror your protagonist’s beliefs or growth.
These relationships should be tested at some point throughout the narrative.
Does a betrayal have your protagonist questioning all that they believe?
Do they put their trust in the hands of a newly developed relationship?
And what becomes of these decisions?
Will your protagonist learn that trusting others leads to success, or will this betrayal close them off from future relationships?
Each moment can influence key turning points in your story, a moment that guides your protagonist to their final outcome.
Your Protagonist's Goals Rarely Stay the Same
More often than not, your protagonist’s goals will change throughout the story.
They discover that it doesn’t lead them to internal happiness or that there is something more important out there.
A protagonist may start with a personal goal, like leaving a small town to attend art school overseas, but end up fighting for someone else whom they met along the way.
Someone who they’ve grown close to that shifts the trajectory of their life.
A relationship they felt secure in at the beginning ends in heartbreak, reframing your protagonist’s worldviews and actions.
These changing relationship dynamics naturally guide your protagonist to their higher goal or purpose.
It’s an excellent tool to stop you from forcing their end goal into place.
Relationships aren’t side plots; they’re not the fun trope that’s thrown in there to keep your readers’ attention.
Well-developed relationships influence tension, uncertainty and ultimate transformation.
Look at your work in progress, what relationships most influence your protagonist’s arc, and how have you crafted them to impact their journey?
Over to you!
Have a key relationship you’re still trying to tease out?
Read these blog posts if you’re building a mentor relationship or crafting romantic relationships that serve your overall plot.
Happy writing!
Talk soon!
Julia
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